Printer
Friendly Page
Energy Bars
by Rachel
Keller
Bar cookies are
adaptable and virtually fail-proof with their no-fuss, no-bother aspect are
easier than most cookies. Bar cookies are irresistible not only to the
experienced and daring baker, but to the casual cook as well.
* * *
On one of my weekly visits to the library, I discovered Bar Cookies A to Z by Marie Simmons. The book is unique in that Marie shares 50 recipes, with at least one recipe for each letter of the alphabet. Colorful pictures accompany the recipes.
Growing up, Marie spent countless Saturday afternoons helping her grandmother bake goodies. Now, she has her own kitchen, but instead of spending hours "rolling and cutting dozens of circles," (p. 13) she experimented and enhanced many of her grandmother's recipes by converting them to bar cookies.
Bar cookies are adaptable and virtually fail-proof with their no-fuss, no-bother aspect are easier than most cookies. Simmons states that "bar cookies are irresistible not only to the experienced and daring baker, but to the casual cook as well."
She gives tips for baking great bar cookies and shares 50 scrumptious recipes for you to try in your kitchen. Here is a sample of one of her recipes: Energy Bars. These bars contain four grains: barley, oats, rye, and wheat, plus dried fruits, nuts. They are "guaranteed to give you an energy surge when you most need it" (p. 41).
Ingredients:
2 c. uncooked Quaker Multi-Grain cereal
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. snipped (1/2-inch pieces) pitted prunes
1/2 c. coarsely chopped (unblanched) almonds
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/ 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. b. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the cereal, raisins, prunes, almonds, sunflower seeds, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, brown sugar and egg until blended. Stir in the applesauce and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients, stirring just until blended. Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool until lukewarm on a wire rack before cutting into bars. About 24 bars.
From Bar Cookies A to Z (1994)
by Marie Simmons
Chapters Publishing LTD., Shelburne, Vermont 05482